"Hey, kid, what is your ability?" Boris asked, a look of confusion on Luke's face.
"Ability?" Luke's brows raised in confusion.
"Yeah, I forgot, you have been here for about three months now..." Boris snapped in realization.
"Well, don't worry, you will be tested after you leave here," he added, further confusing the young lad.
"Abilities... what was this guy talking about?" he wondered, nothing coming to mind, as the world he knew before he got into the hospital was a normal one.
Unaware of the chaos outside, the hospital was the biggest in the city, his mother making sure he was protected 24/7.
The chaos of the new era never once reached him, even though there were many in the hospital who were affected, a lot of injured involved in the chaos under the same roof as he was, yet he was unaware of any of that.
"Don't worry about it, explaining it will be a hassle. You will find out when you get out of here..." Boris stood to his feet.
"Whatever your ability will be, I would like for you to join the army..." He smiled, fishing through his pockets for something.
"Here is my card. Give me a call after you are discharged..." He placed the card on the small table beside the bed.
"You have the courage and the mindset, but you are far too weak and reckless. I will whip you into shape..." He waved to him, stepping out of the door.
Luke silently watched his back.
"What was that about?" he thought to himself, his gaze shifting to the card.
His heartbeat slightly racing.
He was interested, to be trained again...
He could become stronger, sharper than he was...
But his racing heart calmed as he remembered his mother.
"There is no way she would allow this," he sighed internally, closing his eyes in resignation.
...
Two weeks later.
"A new era is dawning, the era of superhumans..." These words, though muffled, sounded through a window, a regular window on an inconspicuous tract house among tens of similar ones in the community.
Lights danced, switching without rhythm, a teenage boy behind his laptop as he watched Unity Channel 3 News, a channel that liked to talk about the latest and juiciest gossip of the new world.
"...The World Government is yet to announce this, but we all know what's happening. A lot of teenagers are showing signs of awakening, strange, unexplainable abilities. My own son is no exception." His eyes reflected the scene on the screen as he stared intently, truly drawn into the news.
A scene from the first public awakened sighting was displayed; an abnormal sight: the fire service fighting flames of a burning building, a lone boy walking out of the flaming structure like a humanoid flame.
He was literally on fire yet did not burn, instead panicking and rushing to others for help.
This was the first of many such incidents, all involving teenagers showing supernatural abilities.
Though he too was a teen, he had yet to show signs of awakening.
"Did I miss my chance because I was hospitalized?" he thought, a bit depressed.
The world seemed to have undergone a change, children his age showing abilities beyond the scope of current science.
One could only call them superpowers, yet he was still average.
He, like most teens his age, loved heroic comics; getting an ability of their own would be a dream come true.
"The World Government has been quick on this matter, bringing everything under control in record time, not to mention they have even identified the cause of this strange phenomenon..." the newscaster announced.
At the mention of the World Government, Luke's mind drifted to the strange encounter with the soldier who had paid him a visit not too long ago.
Boris Atem.
"So this was what he was talking about..."
He had just arrived home a few hours ago, so was unaware of the change in the world.
There wasn't anything strange as they passed through the street though, only frequent sightings of soldiers, which he didn't pay much attention to.
"No wonder there were so many soldiers around..." He sighed, his gaze shifting from the screen to his own hands.
He pondered what type of abilities he had, if he had any at all.
"Even if I don't have an ability, I will join the army..." He clenched his fist in determination but released it a few moments after, remembering his mother.
Even the card given by Boris was confiscated by her.
He never got the chance to contact him, even though he had thought of it.
His mother arrived a few hours after Boris left.
Without much of a glance, she took the card, seemingly aware Boris would leave it there.
"...Not on my watch..." These were her words to Luke before she strode away with the card, the last time Luke saw it.
"...Hello Admiral, so what have you discovered about this strange phenomenon?" Luke's attention was drawn back to the screen, his gaze focusing on the admiral on the screen.
"Well, it's nothing serious. I'm here to assure you on behalf of the World Government that all is under control," he stated.
Though a military personnel, the air around him was as dignified as a conglomerate's.
A subordinate of Salacia.
"Really?! How can we not panic? There are various conspiracies flying around, most of which people are poised to believe. I myself am more inclined to believe in the supersoldiers of the Great War getting out, or the beginning of a fantasy world where mana flows into this world."
With a knowing glint in her eyes, she spoke without any reservations, not in the least afraid of the admiral.
The world had undergone drastic changes after the Third World War, everything birthed anew, this term given true meaning as the new government changed the calendar, the day of the World Truce becoming the first day of the first year of the new era: 1 PTB (Post Tertium Bellum).
Yet the greatest freedom still stood: the freedom of speech.
The admiral quickly grasped her intention.
She wanted to provoke him.
With a warm smile, he replied, "...Those are some creative ideas, but I am afraid none are true." His smile widened, his white pearls showing as he continued, "The truth is even more ridiculous."
"How so?" Curious, the hostess leaned closer, Luke inadvertently doing the same.
"KGM-20, as we call it, has been found in our atmosphere after the meteor shower a few months ago. Even though not harmful, it seems to possess certain properties that mutate the DNA of teenagers, it seems..." He explained, choosing his words carefully so as not to sound too technical.
"So you mean they got superpowers from the stars..." The host, in her own way, summarized the whole thing.
The admiral could not help but smile awkwardly, clearly having a hard time dealing with the eccentric host.
The interview continued for a while longer, Luke following every word, trying to figure out if he would be lucky enough to also get some powers from the stars.
"...The KGM-20 is still under study, so for now, we admonish any and all to report a mutant to any station near you. For their own safety and yours, all mutants should report to government facilities immediately. Failure to do so may result in legal consequences," he warned, his tone stern.
"I don't like that word. Calling children mutants is a bit..." She paused, wincing in dissatisfaction. "They got their powers from the stars, so let's call them Starborns." She smiled to herself, satisfied with her words.
"Starborns, huh..." A voice sounded behind Luke, startling him as he almost jumped off his bed, his laptop falling to the ground.
"Hahahaha!" A hearty laughter followed, enjoying the frightened boy's reaction.
Hearing the laugh, he was sure of who it was.
Click!
He turned on the lights, the visibility confirming his thoughts.
"Asya, you almost gave me a heart attack," he pouted, glaring at Asya, who was holding her belly as she laughed at his reaction.
"You... hahaha... are... hahaha... like... hahaha... a scaredy... cat," she spoke between laughter, calming herself down as she fell on his bed.
He only stared at the 20-year-old behaving like a teenage girl, shaking his head.
"You're a medical trainee, yet you still behave like a little girl," he said, picking up the laptop off the floor and putting it away.
"How did you even get he...?" He paused at the knowing smile on his sister's lips.
He already knew how she had entered his room; she used the spare key she had stolen from him.
Goosebumps formed on his skin as he thought about how many times she might have snuck in without his consent.
"Don't worry, I only use it for emergencies." She winked, making Luke certain she had used it for God knows what when he wasn't around.
Luckily, he was too young to have a porn stash, so he had nothing to worry about.
"Are you prepared for the new semester? Summer break is over..." she said, helping herself to a snack in his room.
Luke's mind drifted to school, eyes narrowing as he wondered how school would be in this new era.
~~~
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Done with the introduction of the world, hope you liked it.
Don't forget to add to your library.